“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” - George Bernard Shaw

July 30, 2008
Candace Morris
6 Comments

you know how i recently mentioned that i was no longer in my barren desert of my early life, but instead i am abounding in the forrest of my adulthood? I mentioned that my present from Kelly, Plume's Desert Secrets ring, will eternally remind me that for everything i was NOT given as a child, I have been blessed ten-fold by something else...and this is what i mean.

My connection to Joel has been more than amazing - just him alone. But here this awe-inspiring man comes along with equally inspiring family. Most people cannot say this of their in-laws, but I adore these people...not just because they are family or because they have been kind of nice to me, but because they have completely changed my life...

There are parents you love because they are your parents. This is not why I adore the Morris's. I adore them because they first and foremost see their children as PEOPLE, not as converts or as a reflection of them. I am Candace to them, all parts, all combinations of moods, all my stages - and they embrace and adore it because it's ME...not because they are hoping I might finally turn out as they had planned. When we get together with them, we hang out as friends, they are genuinely interested in even the smallest happenings of our day, our friend's days, and our friends friend's day - seeing all of my life as important and worthy of hearing.

And they do all of this without any judgement or parenting - which is hard to do I imagine, watching your children get past the range of you being able to correct them, but they have done this with ease and graciousness.

I am convinced I can do no wrong in their eyes - and I am just an IN-LAW (though no one really even thinks of these terms) and this is remarkable b/c I can be one bratty girl.

In addition to the parents, my marriage has brought me two lovely sisters and their adorable and integrous husbands. I LOVE hanging out with these people - it was such a relief to see them after a long time not being all together because I realize that I am not in a social situation when it's just us...I am instead with family. I can be in ANY mood or state of introversion and despite perhaps baffling them sometimes, they always love and accept me. It's a relief to not ever really have to explain myself...

I was overwhelmed to share my bday with them on Monday night - here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Yesterday evening, Erin and Adam's present came in the mail! Adam is Joel's cousin on the Morris side, and E is his better half. I am such great friends with both of these people, like really deeply bosom friends - and I am so glad I get to be their family b/c we get to be stuck together FOREVER. I love these earringsfrom Plume!